How to Choose a Blogging Niche

You’re thinking of starting a blog but wondering how to choose a blogging niche. You know it would be a good creative outlet for you. You’d love to one day earn a full-time income from it. And you love the idea of working for yourself and setting your own hours.

Those are the reasons (among many others) why I chose to start a blog. I started this blog about two years ago and haven’t looked back. It’s led me to extremely lucrative freelance writing jobs (check out my latest income report to see what I mean), it led me to my current full-time job, it’s earning a consistent side income each and every month, and, perhaps best of all, it’s introduced me to an amazing community of friends and bloggers.

So, you know you want to start a blog, but you’re not sure what you should blog about. Does this sound familiar?

For me, choosing my niche (personal finance) DID come relatively easily. I majored in finance and love talking money, so it just seemed natural.

However, a little over a year into blogging, I decided I wanted to start a new blog in a new niche. I wanted to talk more about motherhood, marriage, home & living, careers, and the like. So, that’s exactly what I did – I started a brand new blog. While I do love that blog and hope to get back to it one day, shortly after starting it I realized that this blog right here already had a following. I was already making a small income, I had dedicated readers, and I was connected in the personal finance community. To “start over” didn’t sound appealing; and as a mom of two (almost three!) little ones, I quickly realized I didn’t have the time or mental capacity to manage not one, but two, blogs.

Today, I want to help you decide how to choose a blogging niche.

How to Choose a Blogging Niche

Choosing a blogging niche is important. To start, ask yourself these five questions.

What are my interests? List them out! I had so many lists going when I started this blog and my second blog. Write down every single thing you are interested in. My lists included things like holidays, fall, baking, babies, holiday decor, making money, saving money, creating your dream life, balancing work and kids, maintaining a happy marriage, and more. The longer, the better!

What could I actually write about? As interested as I am in fall and all things holidays, I am the least creative person on the planet. I don’t like DIY projects, I’m not good at arts and crafts, my baking – while it tastes great – never looks as appealing as it does in the recipe, my house does not look like they do in the magazines, etc. So, while I’d love a blog solely dedicated to fall, that’s just not in my cards. When looking at your lists of interests, narrow it down by asking yourself if you could actually write about that topic.

Can I see myself writing about this for years to come? This is where I definitely wish I would have created a more all-encompassing blog from the start. When people come to “the frugal millionaire blog,” they expect to see tips on making and saving money, budgeting, buying a home, earning a side income, investing, etc. I would guess most readers don’t come here to read about my day-to-day life. Once you’ve selected a few topics, ask yourself if you could write about that for many, many years without getting bored. If you want to talk about multiple topics or at least leave room to talk about multiple topics, think of a more general blog name that will encompass that. Heck, your blog name could even just be your name! Simple!

What is my goal for the blog? If you are just looking for a creative outlet and to make some friends, I wouldn’t worry too much about your niche. However, if you plan on making an income from your blog, your niche matters. I do believe ANY niche can make money, but some can make much, much more than others. A blog about gymnastics, for example, will appeal to a much smaller audience than a blog that shares healthy recipes. Catch my drift?

How much time can I commit to my blog? A food blog, for example, requires much more time than a blog like mine. Food bloggers need to create recipes, make the food, photograph the food, upload the photos, AND write the post. And, if the recipe doesn’t turn out how it’s supposed to, they have to start all over. My blog is pretty straightforward – it’s based on content and doesn’t rely on my superb photography skills (which is a good thing). If you want a healthy recipes blog but work full-time and have kids, perhaps you should start a “healthy living” blog so you can create awesome content in addition to sharing recipes when you have the time.

While choosing a niche is important, remember also that blogs can evolve. This blog, for example, now focuses more on blogging, freelancing and creating additional streams of income rather than budgeting and saving money. The blog has evolved with me. And, if we were ever to be a one-income family again, I can guarantee I’d be discussing more on stretching every dollar and finding free ways to entertain your kids!

If you’re ready to start a blog, head on over to my tutorial on How to Start a Profitable Blog. I’ll walk you through the entire set up, and then email you a copy of my book – The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging – to help get your actual blog up and running.

If you do decide to start a blog, what niche which you pick?! Share in the comments!!